60+ Beautiful

I love showing mature women ways to update their look.

So, naturally, I was thrilled when Donna agreed to let me do a complimentary makeup session with her and post her shots on my blog. She’s normally quite shy about getting her picture taken, so I had to appeal to her sense of duty as my long time friend. It worked.

I wanted to create a sophisticated look that wouldn't be too fussy. Someone suggested I play up Donna's "book author look."

In this first picture, Donna did her own makeup, which normally consists of a quick swipe of Bare Escentials Foundation and her favorite deep pink lipstick and lip liner. Certainly not a bad look, but I wanted to show her something a little different.

I left her foundation in tact, but used under eye concealer to brighten her overall look. First, I applied a primer underneath her eyes to help her concealer adhere to her skin without settling into fine lines. Next, I applied a pot concealer underneath her eyes and wherever she had ruddiness (red spots). A taupe eye shadow was used to softly fill in her eyebrows.

Next, I applied brown/black eye liner inside her lash line. A sweep of a soft green/gray eye shadow was used just across her top lid and underneath her eye. Her cheeks are blushed with a soft pink and her lips are a warmer shade of pink than her usual choice.

The final results: Doesn’t she look like she’s dashing off to an evening of book signings?

Holiday Makeup Look

Glamorous doesn’t mean garish. Holiday makeup can be subtle, but beautiful. My client, Danielle, was my first choice for showing a pretty holiday look. She normally doesn’t wear much makeup, except in her job as a professional dancer/actress with a well-known theater group.

But when I asked if she’d model a holiday look for me, she immediately agreed. I’m glad she did.

As you can see in her “before” shot, Danielle occasionally experiences breakouts from her theater makeup. But the techniques I use can cover breakouts without creating a mask.

First, I used Danielle’s own sheer liquid foundation (totally forgot the brand, sorry) all over. Next, I took a nylon concealer brush and applied a cream to powder foundation from Mary Kay just on the dark spots. Normally, I’m not big on MK’s foundations – too thick for all over application, unless they're thinned out and applied with a damp sponge. But straight up, they're wonderful for spot covering.

Next, I decided to try a new mineral makeup line I received in the mail a few days ago. It’s called Priia and it’s formulated by none other than The Mineral Makeup Coach.

I have to say, the colors are gorgeous. On Danielle, I used three eye shadows. Gold Finger, a satiny pure gold, was the overall lid color. Sapphire Gem (my favorite color in the whole collection), a smooth navy blue with just a hint of shimmer, went in her crease. I added touch of Dusty Lilac over top.

Her blush was Tuscan Brick, a color from Priia I’ll be using a lot. Just on the top of her cheekbones, I brushed a little Satin Complexion Enhancer (a wonderful product that gives anyone that J. Lo glow) in "Angelic". I also dusted Angelic on Danielle’s chest.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have lip colors from Priia to play with, but I whipped up a custom color using several hues and brands from my kit.

I did the usual black mascara.

Voila. A holiday look that still allows Danielle’s natural beauty to shine through.

NOTE: These shots were not retouched. Also, Priia launches Feb. '09. I received it early because I have privileges. In the near future, this blog will feature mostly natural/healthy cosmetic lines *happy face*

How to Apply Foundation

Often when I arrive at a workshop, the client is seeing me for the first time. In this technological age, most of my business correspondence is done through email and cell phone.

Clients have seen photos of me, of course, but that’s not quite the same. My hair has grown out since my promo pictures, and I'm in 3-D.

As I lug my stash of beauty products through the door, someone usually comments, “You have such beautiful skin, even without foundation.”

Me: "Thank you. But I am wearing foundation."

Client: “Oh, it looks so natural. I couldn’t tell.”

That's how foundation is supposed to look. If I can "see" a woman’s foundation (especially along her jawline), she’s either wearing the wrong color or applying it too heavily.

Rachel, in the photo above, is wearing a full face of foundation. I know because I applied it. Honest. And the shot isn’t retouched or changed in any way.

“Yes, but she has great skin,’ you say. “I need to layer on my foundation because I have troubled skin.”

I hear this so often.

I’ll let you in on a secret. Troubled skin draws attention to itself with an inch of caked-on foundation, even if the color is correct. Less is always more. Trust me on this one.

The best foundation tips I can give are these: Make sure the color you choose matches your skin perfectly. There are hundreds of makeup lines. Your color does exist. You may have to search in lines like Becca to find it, but it's out there.

Always purchase the absolute sheerest foundation you can get away with. If that means a light, liquid foundation or, *gasp* none at all, then go for it. If you’ve got a pimple here or there, or even a patch of them multiplying on one cheek, don’t cover your entire face with a thick foundation in hopes of simply plastering over everything. It’s not a good look.

Instead, do a thin, sheer foundation all over to even out blotches and discolorations; then grab a nylon brush and a yellow based concealer that matches your skin almost perfectly. Stroke just over the problem areas – lightly at first, then building as necessary.

You’ll need a good, thick concealer like Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage. I have this product in my makeup kit. And I've assisted Laura Mercier on shoots for Victoria's Secret. This product can cover anything.

Then dust a very light loose powder over top if you need it. I rarely use powder over foundation unless a client has oily skin. I know we’ve been told we must always SET the foundation with powder. That’s marketing speak meant to sell an extra product.

Not every woman needs powder and not every foundation needs “setting”. Experiment and see if you need powder. On older skin, some powders simply settle into every line and deep wrinkle, highlighting them more. I'm guessing that's not what you want.

One more bit of advice. When shopping for foundation at department stores, always look at the sales associate’s makeup. If you see a “demarcation line” near her jaw, changes are you should walk away.

Photography on this post by Jonathan Roth

Make Undereye Circles Disappear

In addition to workshop inquiries, I get calls from women like my client, Rin (pictured here), who are seeking help.

By the time they've gotten my number, most are suffering from an acute case of BCA - Beauty Counter Abuse.

Have you ever innocently gone to a makeup counter in hopes of getting an "update", but left with a look that said you were a paid date? That's BCA.

That's not what this client wanted.

Rin and I met for a low-key discussion about her concern areas, her makeup comfort level and how much time she has to fiddle with her face in the morning.

As you can see in her "before" shot, Rin has gorgeous eyes. But her under eye circles, literally, mask the impact they should be giving her.

Rin wanted a wonder product that would hide her circles, even out her skin tone and take five minutes flat to apply. She was also open to a new lip color and some eye shadow, but nothing too bright or too complicated.

Off we went to Sephora. I can't even tell you how many products we tried, but in the end, the magic elixir was Cover FX foundation. I used a sponge wedge to apply a thin layer as foundation, then grabbed a synthetic brush and stroked a little FX underneath her eyes to double as a concealer.

This step alone gave Rin a more polished look, as you can see in her second picture.

But we weren't done. I wanted Rin to learn how she could really bring out her blue eyes, without loading them up with competing colors. I handed her a smoky gray pencil eye liner and a smoky gray eyeshadow. She applied them just along the top lash line. Then stroked a little of the eye shadow underneath her eye to create a "soft" liner.

Perfect.

Then, since we were having so much fun, I asked her to indulge me. I grabbed a dusty pink blush, a baby pink lip gloss and a tube of coal black mascara and worked quickly. When she wasn't looking, I dusted her with bronzer.

She bought it all.

We recreated the look later and engaged in a little photo shoot (notice my professional backdrop - a bed sheet).

From that sexy look she's giving off, I'd venture to say Rin's a satisfied customer.

Note: None of Rin's photos have been retouched or manipulated in any way. That would defeat the purpose of a MAKEUP blog.

Women of Color

I get a lot of questions about makeup for "brown" women. This includes African-Americans, Africans, Hispanics, Indians and a myriad of beautiful women who have a mixture of two or more of the above heritages.

In today's cosmetics market, there are more choices than ever for women of color. From drug store choices like Loreal's Hip, to the department store mega trend, MAC, pigments are brighter and colors are truer on brown skin than ever before.

This is both good and bad. Here's why. More pigment means the colors show up better on the skin and don't look ashy or washed out after a couple of hours. However, deeper pigments require better application skills.

Blending becomes key. Especially with eye shadows.

Bright colors, layered with mega doses of mica (high shimmer/glitter) that aren't blended properly can look anywhere from dated (think 1980s!) to clownish (think Bozo!).

A light, feathery brush with soft bristles works wonders with deep tones. The whole idea is to look good without looking like too much effort was made.

Overly bright colors draw the eyes away from a woman's beautiful eyes, sculpted lips or chiseled cheekbones. Even though I'm a makeup artist, I believe when it comes to human beauty, it's more important to notice the canvas than the strokes.

Women of color, like all women, should strive to enhance, not cover their natural beauty. If bright colors are a must, then opt for a bright lip or one bright eye shade and let everything else speak softly.

The best compliment one of my clients can get is, "You look beautiful," not..."Your makeup is great."